Opposites Retract
by Roflpavelow
Summary: Post Anime. A Fan-Base depiction of relationships. Multi-chapter.
1. Chapter 1

Takumi Usui, a carefree yet well-known high school student at Seika High rested in his favorite diner, Maid Latte. He sat alone, running his pale fingers through his silky blond hair, waiting for his order to be taken. He didn't stress any effort in ignoring any acknowledgement to a few swooning schoolgirls adjacent to his table, they barely knew him, after all His posture stilled, but his eyes caught in a trance with those of his approaching wanted love-life.

"You again?" The sigh belonged to Misaki Ayuzawa. She worked as a maid, and was being seemingly stalked by Usui. She 'Hated' him, but strangely enjoyed his company. Their relationship, was odd.

"You look wonderful, as ever. Misaki." His innocent smile crept onto his face, greeted by a disgusted look from her.

She pushed out an annoyed sigh. "Coffee?"

"You know me." This was true. She didn't even have to ask, but if she didn't, other customers would see her out of character.

Usui bore no shame, or hesitation in watching her walk away. Although, his ear perked as he could hear some commotion in the Maid Room. He decided to discard the thoughts.

"Excuse me." One of the gals from the table previously seen took hold of the empty chair across from Usui.

"Hn?" Usui blankly wondered.

"I was wondering if we could chat?" She blushed a little bit, looking over at her friends for support.

"About?" His posture still hadn't changed, and his eyes hadn't even looked at her yet.

"A-Anything! What do you like?" She stammered, nervously sitting down.

"What do I like? I doubt you want to know the real answer to that." He admitted, finally gazing at the woman, 1 year senior to him he estimated.

"But I do!"

"Fair enough." He paused, looked around the café, and spotted Misaki.

"That girl." He pointed directly at her with his arm, the other craning his head back.

Misaki turned her head around slowly, and saw that freak pointing at her. She growled, and marched over to see what he was up to-

"…Is the most beautiful maid in this bar, and one of the most driven girls I have ever seen. That's what I truly like." Usui finished.

Misaki couldn't help but _hate_ that he was sitting with another girl, but definitely didn't let his comments go unnoticed. The shy girl who was adjacent to Usui looked solemn, and got the message. She slowly re-joined her friends at their table.

'Am I a terrible person?' Misaki couldn't help think after she was _glad_ that the other girl got rejected. She too, threw away the thoughts and handed the oddball, Usui, his coffee.

"Thanks."

"What did I tell you about rejecting them so harshly?" She whispered, harshly.

"Oh, Usui, you can't be so mean! Usui!" He directly quoted her.

"Don't get smart with me." She condescended.

"No but in all seriousness, I only have eyes for you." He teased, sipping loudly from his cup.

"Gawds, I hate you." She stamped off, unknown to the pain hidden in his eyes.

He sighed deeply upon Misaki exiting earshot, and looked back down to his coffee.

'That's the third time today.' He thought.

-2 Hours later, end of shift.-

Usui was the last customer in the store, enjoying his thoughts. Both of his ears twitched. They heard more commotion down the hall, between the maids. It sounded like one of Misaki's superiors, and the girl herself. 'This ought to be interesting.' He listened.

"I swear Misaki, you have to actually put more effort in this job. I've told you this before! You can't just slide by and take orders."

"…"

"You're being paid to do your job, so I expect some changes."

"What's wrong with her?" Takumi lazily snaked over, resting a hand on Misaki's shoulder.

"She's not on par with the other maids."

"Hmph, I didn't know you could tell jokes." He retorted.

"She doesn't want to work, she's being a spoiled brat."

Misaki couldn't help but nudge a little closer to Usui, not fully realizing what she was doing.

"Hey, go get some rest. Show up to work here tomorrow acting like normal, I'll handle this." Usui told her.

"Why are you getting involved?" Her words lashed out like venom. "Never mind." She walked out silently, sighing.

"See? I told you she was spoiled." The remaining maid said with sass.

"Take a seat." Usui said assertively. "We're gonna have a quick chat."

"Sorry, I'm closing the store. You can come back another time, you are a loyal customer, after all."

He met her eyes with steel.

"Take a seat."

-A few minutes later.-

Misaki was walking home, a sky greeted by a legion of stars dangled above her. Usually that weird Usui would walk her home, but she managed to get ahead of him, or so she thought. He was back at the store.

The sky was crying heavily, Misaki prepared with an umbrella. For once the damn weather forcast was correct. Her house had dim lights on from down the street, she splashed her way up to the door, and finally opened the gate. She briefly turned around and saw a man standing under a lightpost down the street. It was Usui.

'What the hell is he doing in the rain?' She growled.

He saw that she was safely home, and began to trot towards his house knowing she was safe and sound.

-Ayuzawa Home-

"Welcome home, sis."

"Evening, Suzuna." Misa grumbled.

"Why the long face?"

"Long day at work?"

"As usual, but…"

"Oh, there was more?"

"Nothing, I'm going to go to sleep." She ignored her sisters calls, until she heard a certain phrase.

"Was it that nice guy, Usui? Was he not there today?"

"No! Well, yes! He was there today." She said rolling over.

"Oh… We're you mean to him again? He was so sweet when he helped out mother."

"Well, not really…"

"What did you say to him?"

"Nothing aside from the usual."

"Sis, you're weird. So you're usual is my crazy. Elaborate."

"Oh you know, good morning at school, took his order, said that I…"

"Said what?"

"I said that I hated him, and a few other things."

"Wow, that's so mean!"

"It's Usui. He can take it."

"If I was your boyfriend, I would dump you for saying that all the time!" And with that, Masaki's sister went to her room.

Misaki plunked her head down on the pillow. 'Damn Usui.'


	2. Chapter 2

AN: " Variable X" = Dialogue

'Variable Y' = Thoughts

-Variable k- = Setting

Saturdays. Saturdays were grueling for Misaki, when they weren't supposed to be. Her shift started at 3:00 PM, so she couldn't really start any activities before her shift, and it will be too late when she gets home. It's one of those Saturday Limbo moments. She didn't awake from her slumber until 2:00 PM anyway.

Usui on the other hand, was not so crunched for time. He had finished a project for classes, gone out for lunch, and would even have time to visit Misaki at work.

-3:05, Maid Latte-

'Today's gonna suck.' Misaki grumbled in her thoughts, changing into her attire. Her damn boss has been riding her about her performance, that was always fun.

She stepped out into the diner, and he was already there, awaiting his order.

'Never mind, today's_ really _gonna suck_.' _ She sighed.

"Yo." He said cooly.

"You arrived when my shift started, eh?" She said bringing his coffee.

"Affirmative." He admitted.

She sighed. _Deeply_. "Usui, I don't need this today. Could you, leave me alone?"

"Hn?"

"I want you to stop bothering me. For real this time." She quietly said not to disturb the other customers.

"So, no more perverted actions? Or…" He pondered.

"No, Usui. Just leave." She blurted out.

He paused for a moment.

"Is… That what you want?" His voice rattled.

"Yes, please."

He remained still, and slowly grazed the back of his index finger along his lips, thinking.

"If it takes a burden off of your chest, it's done." He said inhaling deep, dropping his tip on the table, and slowly exiting the shop.

Misaki watched him, only tiny feelings of regret washing over her, but for the most part she was stoked. She could finally… Relax, and enjoy her day at work.

The hours ticked by faster, her mood improving drastically. She felt so… Happy. She didn't know why.

"Oi, Misaki." Her boss came over, sweetly.

"Oh, um." She cleared her throat. "Hello."

"I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I was irrational." The boss choked.

"W-What?" Misaki blinked several times.

"I am sorry for my attitude I had with you."

"Don't take me wrong, I'm flattered at your change of heart, but why all of the sudden?"

"That boy is a real charmer. He stayed at the shop a few minutes last night and… Knocked some sense into me. Verbally, of course."

"What did he say?"

"Oh, how no one should even call you spoiled knowing how hard working you are, and how much you have been through. All in all he stuck up for you."

"Oh…" She couldn't help rolling her eyes. 'Damn Usui.' She didn't even know why she was annoyed with him at the moment.

"I offered him a job." The boss said, breaking her train of thought.

"_What_?!"

"He declined though, said it'd make you happy. Unfortunate, but his mind is made. Anyway, I just wanted to apologize from earlier. See you."

"Thanks." She said as her boss walked by.

Misaki's tip-bag fell onto the floor, spilling a bit of money everywhere.

'Damn it.' She scrambled around, grabbing the money, putting it back together.

Her eye froze; she saw something amongst the dollars. A white slip hid beneath some money. She picked it up, and turned it over.

It was her picture with Usui. He had left it with his tip. The small picture was in bad shape, by her guess he had it with him all of the time.

She pocketed the picture, rolled her eyes, and continued the closing stages of her shift.

-City streets.-

Usui was walking, whistling amongst a few other random folks going about their daily lives. Usui looked care-free, but his mind was racing. He had finally made a decision.

-The following Monday, at school.-

The first half of the day went by quick, most students too tired to cause a ruckus. The high School President, Misaki was buried in work with her assistant and it was scorching inside the school.

Usui sat lazily in his desk at class 2-2, watching the clock turn. His class-work was already completed, and the bell to get out would ring in 9 more minutes… To end his boredom he would continuously convert the minutes left into seconds… And back again…

His thoughts scrambled, and he jumped a bit when the bell rang. He sighed, not negatively, but more like an anxious sigh.

The halls cleared within five minutes, Usui was alone in the cafeteria buying a pop when a familiar face approached him, a girl.

"Hi."

He jumped, startled.

"Uhh, Yo." He said grabbing his soda from the machine.

"We met at that café… I was wondering if you wanted to go somewhere else. A restaurant? " The girl stammered.

Misaki was alone, walking down the halls. She could hear Usui's conversation, but she was out of sight.

'Here we go, another rejection.' She thought, rolling her eyes and continuing her way.

"You know what, sure. I'll go." Usui said with newfound vigor. Misaki didn't seem love him, so he'd get his feet wet.

"R-Really?!" The girl said, eyes lighting up.

"Ehh, yeah." He said with just a hint of doubt left. 'Relax Usui, you made up your mind yesterday.' He couraged himself.

Misaki froze. Reality hit her.

'But he… He always says no to other girls. He loves me. ' She felt pangs of sorrow, and regret.

'Get a grip, Misaki. That guy is a creep.' The other side of her brain reinforced.

She shook her head, and walked home, trying to forget about it.

-That evening.-

Usui was dressed decently, nothing over the top. The new girl, who had introduced herself as Yoko, was in black dress, easy on the eyes. The dress had small gold stars that Usui couldn't help but love. Black and gold, two perfect colors together.

They sat in a window booth, eating quietly. Yoko was doing 99% of the talking, Usui intently listening. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't enjoy himself.

Misaki was on her way home from work, and saw Usui through the window. He didn't bare any expressions on his face… But she was ever so curious about his date.

"It's about time we went home… Would you like to do this again sometime?" She asked, gulping.

"I like your dress." He said ignoring the question.

"Silly, I asked a question! But thank you." She giggled, leaning forward pecking him on the cheek.

Usui felt nothing from the kiss. Why? He just wanted to enjoy himself. He couldn't.

"Sure." He said finally answering her question.

"Brilliant." She shot up, happy as ever, and bid him farewell.

Usui sat in the booth alone for some time, pondering.

"It was her. The damn dress, it reminded me of her.' An image of Misaki in her school uniform entered Usui's mind. The long black hair he longed to run his hands through, and the piercing, but welcoming amber, gold eyes.

"Love sucks." He mumbled in his folded arms. In time, hopefully he'd forget about her.

-Misaki's room.-

She dressed into her smallclothes, and prepared for bed. She turned the lamp out, and lay in silence. After a moment of clarity, a small sniffle emerged to kill the quiet. She powered the light back on, and frantically grabbed for the picture she had a few days ago. Her eyes forged tears that landed seamlessly onto the picture, further wearing it down.

"I'm sorry." Her voice attempted to comfort the small face of Usui in the picture, her plea unheard.


	3. Chapter 3

A few days had gone by. Usui lay atop his sofa waiting for the impending date. His new "girlfriend", Yoko, would be driving him to a diner for them to eat. Usui didn't know why, but something felt wrong. He wanted to just relax, and live a normal life. He would have to forget about bothering Misaki any further.

As for Misaki herself, she got dressed very early in her casual wear, having high hopes for the day. She had been stalking Usui, extensively, and knew where he was to have his date. She would say how she felt, and let him decide. Nice, and easy.

Usui lumbered out to Yoko's car, smiling when she opened the door.

"Good morning."

"Hi, Usui. You look handsome as ever."

"Thanks." He couldn't help but enjoy the compliment.

She put the auto into drive, and they began chatting. The city life, was rather quiet.

"You're not talking much, Usui. What's wrong?" Her eyes averted to him, from the road.

"I just don't typically go out on weekends. In the morning, that is." He lied. He would always sulk around Maid Latte.

"Oh." She nearly ran over a curb from loss of focus on the road, causing them both to stiffen, and laugh.

"You're as lively as ever. You usually up this early?" He asked.

"Not really! But… I would do anything for a date with you, Usui." She averted her eyes away again, staring deep into his green orbs.

He cracked open his mouth for a response, but it never came.

The tragedy took place in no more than five seconds. All that could be heard were screams when Yoko's car smashed into a civilian, then into a pole. The car flipped over onto its back, wheels still rotating, as loyal as ever.

Usui seemed to, wake up, from the crash. His head was spinning. Tunnel vision conquered him, hearing voices in his head, as well as nearby pedestrians ready to help.

"What… What happened?" Usui blinked, bearing no expression.

His mind snapped alert. His eyes raced over to the driver. Yoko had blood dripping down her forehead, and seemed unconscious.

"Yoko! Yoko are you okay?!" He forced himself out the window, grabbing her and dragged her to safety.

She was sprawled out on the pavement, which was covered in skid-marks from the tires clashing against road. He bent his neck down to hear a pulse.

Tempo.

It was there. She was alive with a steady pulse. The ambulance roared down the street, arriving to take her away.

"Take care of her, please."

"Were you the driver?" The man in white asked.

"No. But-"

"Fair enough." The men carried her on a stretcher, giving a sigh of relief from Usui.

Usui took a moment to look at his own body. He felt no pain, but there was blood all over him.

'Just got the wind knocked out of me.' His woozy mind confirmed.

"She's dead." A civilian who was leaning down said.

"No, I checked her pulse. She is alive." Usui said looking over.

The woman ignored him, she was crying.

Usui's eyes locked in a frigid position; they bore down upon a corpse. The movement of the body lying on the ground was now forever still. The body on the ground was Misaki.

"No…" Usui's vision went black, and he collapsed onto the pavement.

-Infirmary, the next day.-

"No!" Usui shouted, startling the male nurse checking his meds.

"Wakey-Wakey there." The man said adjusting his glasses.

"Where is she?" Usui said staring the man down.

"Hmm? Oh! The girl! You needn't worry… Usui was it?"

"Yes, where is she?" He didn't want to beat around the bush.

"Relax, you had it worse than her, friend. She made a full recovery, and is with her family for the time being. You, on the other hand, are staying right there." He said, holding a smile.

"Oh thank god." The feeling of relief had never washed over him more strongly.

"She wanted to come visit you, but we couldn't let her. She had a message for you."

"Yes, the message?"

"It was simple, but heart-felt. 'Thank you, my love'." He recited.

"Thank you… For what?"

"You saved her, Bozo! You dragged her out of the totaled car until help arrived. Remember?" He tilted his head to the side.

Usui froze. His relief was stabbed in the back, and thrown to the side like trash. Panick returned.

"What of the other girl?! The one who was hit?!"

"…" The man bit his tongue.

"Tell me, damn it!"

"She's alive."

Usui let out a sigh deeper than any he had unleashed before.

"She's paralyzed."

Usui's ears stopped working. His mind had been tossed. He balled his fists in fury, and let out a rampage attempting to destroy everything in sight.

It took seven men to restrain Usui.

-One week later.-

Usui was sitting next to Misaki's mother, his hand clasped in both of hers.

"Are you sure, Usui?"

"Yes. Yes Ma'am." He agreed. He would help the family pay for the medical prices, anything to make his dream girl happy.

"That's so… Irresponsible of me." The mother remarked.

"No, it's not. This is for Misaki."

She shuttered out more tears.

"You're such a wonderful man, Usui."

They exchanged a few more words, and he left, closing the gate. It was newly repaired.

He walked into Maid Latte, wearing a suit and tie. He had retaken the job offer. The amount of female customers increased exponentially. He would need the extra cash.

'She did this, every day.' Usui chuckled, winking at one of the customers.

He finally clocked out, exhausted, and went to visit his unconscious maiden.

The door was open; he saw her lying on the bed, again. He had visited her many times. The doctors had respected Usui for his devotion, but didn't share that her condition was awful.

"Yo." He mentioned, sitting down.

His lip quivered, he hated seeing her like this. He forced himself to stay with her.

Her eyes cracked open, speechless.

"M-Misaki! You're awake!" He grabbed her hand without thinking, awaiting her response."

Silence.

She stared at him, no words uttering from her jaw.

"Misaki?" He couldn't help but tremble.

Her eyes never left his, but her voice, had.

"It's… been a few weeks since the crash. The doctors said you were… paralyzed. They don't know if it's permanent." He briefly stopped, seeing tears form in her amber eyes.

"But anyway, I'm covering all of the expenses, you needn't worry. I'm working now, heh, it's pretty weird being a maid. Or, would it be a butler? I don't know."

He stopped talking, unsure what to say.

"Could you, blink if you hear me?"

Her eyes fluttered eagerly to meet his request.

"Alright, I'm going to get going." He rose, and ran a finger along her cheek. He motioned to kiss her, but backed off. She told him to stop bothering her a while back, and she was unable to defend herself. He just smiled and walked away.

His footsteps clattered down the hallway, alerting a nurse of her wake.

Unknown to Usui's knowledge, Misaki could still think. She wanted to tell him how she really felt, how she really wanted him to stay, for his love, and warmth.

A few more months of repetitive living had gone by, Usui had to shovel the damn snow out of the lot near Maid Latte, but it kept him busy. Winter was in full swing. He made sure to visit the mute Misaki every day. One particular day, Christmas Eve brought Usui with flowers to her room.

"Oi, Misaki." He lumbered through the door, to see her smiling widely.

"Usui." She said in a raspy whisper.

He dashed to her side in a blink of an eye.

"You're paralysis, it's gone?" He put a hand on hers, it was still cold.

"No." She faintly mumbled.

"She can speak, which is an improvement. The rest of her body on the other hand, is faring poorly though." The doctor holding a clipboard said approaching.

"Is she going to heal, Doc?"

"I… I don't know. I'll leave you two some space."

His green eyes averted back to meet her amber.

"Well, I want you to get some rest, okay?"

"No." She stirred.

"Hnn? Why not." A brow perked on his head.

"You'll be gone when I wake up." She mumbled.

"Hey now, you know me. I've got a plan for us, tonight. It's against the rules, but you've got to trust me."

"Promise?"

"Yeah, get some sleep."

"When you do come, I've… Got something to tell…" And she was asleep, exhausted.

Usui marched out, his eyes eager.

He'd already discussed with some of the professors about her absence, and they would let her make it up since she was responsible. They were still a pain in his ass though.

-Nightfall-

Usui snuck into the hospital room holding Misaki.

"Hey, you awake?" He whispered.

"Uhnnn." She moaned.

"I have plans for us, let's go." He hoisted her on his back, and vanished out into the night.

He walked through the streets holding her on his back; colored lights brightened the road with holiday cheer. Her head slung over his shoulder, as she intently watched around them.

"Hungry?" He asked.

"…."

"Alright. We'll just have a little walk before I take you back, alright? I want you to have some fresh air." He admitted.

"Thank you, Usui." She whispered. That was the last thing she said that night. He would carry on a one sided conversation until he brought her back.

Her condition worsened the next day.


	4. Chapter 4

A day had gone by; Usui had brought her back to the hospital, thinking she was asleep.

"Let me see her, damn it!" The door was locked, a man standing guard.

"I'm sorry sir, after that little stunt you pulled last night, she has declined in health."

"What exactly _is _wrong with her? Can't you just fix her up and..." He muttered, hope crashing.

"You don't want to know the answer to that. Go home, Takumi."

"Tell me. I won't leave until you do." He locked gazes with the nurse.

"Very well. When she collided with the auto-mobile, one of her spinal plates is in position to completely sever the rest of her spine. Surgery can be done to fix this though."

"So do the damn surgery, don't be a fool!"

A bead of sweat dripped down the nurses head in frustration.

"The surgery can't be risked if we move her around too much… Like you just did with her last night. The odds are nearly gone of saving her; she has been unconscious since then."

"…"

"Work overtime, keep yourself busy, Takumi. It will help."

A firm hand cupped Usui's shoulder, with a nod of approval from the nurse.

"Do whatever you need to do to help her."

Usui briskly nodded with what he had said, and shuffled out of the ER, to drift along the streets.

As for School, classes had started again. The Vice president would sub for Misaki, and fully take her place at some time to come should she not return. Usui was still receiving top marks, but was becoming increasingly bitter towards his class mates. His purpose, was gone, it seemed.

Usui worked right after school, serving various meals, on a shift until 9:00 PM.

"Damn, I can't even keep a little pocket money." Usui muttered to himself, paying his rent. The medical bills were barbarous.

The advice from the nurse was legit. As Usui worked, time went by at an alarming rate, first semester finals were only a week away, and Usui hadn't seen Misaki since the night he had taken her out, months before.

His dates with Yoko have ceased, he wanted nothing more to do with the damn girl.

One particular day at School:

"Hey, scumbag." A voice called over.

Usui slowly shut his locker, grumbling to his caller. It was Hinata Shintani.

"What the hell, could you want?"

"Why'd you do it?" Hinata's voice rattled.

"…?" Usui replied with a blank stare, ignorant to Hinata's accusations.

"You hit Misaki-"

Hinata was crushed against a locker, Usui's muscles pulsating with adrenaline.

"You, are treading on dangerous ground. Get. Out." Usui slithered through grit teeth, releasing his vice grip around Hinata. Shintari let out a small sound of fear, and skittered away preaching something about him being guilty.

A vast sigh was released from Takumi, as he grabbed his rucksack and prepared for work.

That day at work, he had to dress fancy. Those maids meant _fancy._ A flashy white Sports Coat, with a matching white boutonniere.

The first customer was a common man, walking with a girl in a wheelchair. It was Misaki.

"Hello again, Takumi!" The man said smiling broadly.

"Misaki…" He dashed over, knelt down and delicately brushed his hand along her cheek.

"Usui, I'm sorry-

She was silenced.

He couldn't help himself anymore, he closed the kiss just as soon as he started it. He was acting rashly.

"I apologize."

"Usui, we need to talk." Her eyes bore into him like a magnifying glass on pavement.

"She seems to be in good hands." The caretaker said, his hands releasing the holds of the wheelchair. He departed, whistling.

"But first, I want out of this damn chair."

"Can you walk?"

She returned with a sarcastic gaze, blowing hair out of her eyes.

"Well then, if you don't mind." Usui remarked.

She was lifted out of the chair, and was now being held in full support of the two crane-like arms that hoisted her up. She couldn't help but take nervous glances around at the onlooking customers.

He settled her in a booth that he usually sat at when she worked.

"Before we chat, I'm getting some coffee."

She nodded, looking around after he left. It seemed like a whole different store. The male population was now half female, most of them staring hungrily at the tall figure in white, bringing a pair of coffee cups over. He placed a steaming mug in front of her, their eyes meeting briefly. She looked away daftly.

"You look nice today." She said biting her lip.

"I appreciate the complement. But we've got two problems." He said folding his arms on the table, grinning.

"Hnn?" Her eyes curiously looked at him.

"One, that's my line. Two, I use more creative words than nice." He teased.

"Just take the compliment." She drank from her mug, trying to suppress a smile.

"One thing I have noticed, Is your hair." He raised an eyebrow.

"My... My hair? What's wrong with it?" Her cheeks heated.

"It's gotten pretty long, don't you think?" His devilish grin returned.

"I've been in the hospital! How am I going to keep track of-

"Relax." His hand traveled to the side of her face.

"Huh?"

"It looks wonderful."

She felt his hand retreating, so her own instinctively shot up and held his hand to her cheek.

"What did you want to talk about?" He pondered.

She finally removed his hand gently from her face, and played around with his fingers with both of her hands while thinking.

"Since you've known me, I've been a real bitch, haven't I?"

"No comment."

She puffed her cheeks.

"But in all realism, no. You've got a fire in you Misaki, one that will never burn out. If you have a goal, you complete it. The only time's you have… Had an attitude…"

He made sure to avoid the word bitch at all costs.

"Is when it was well deserved. I pretty much harassed you."

Her hands were now holding onto his right hand tightly.

"Really?" Her expression lightened.

"Yes ma'am." Her eyes twinkled to his words.

She gulped.

"There's something I need to be upfront with you about." She murmured.

"Hit me."

"All of this time I've known you. From you helping me out at school, practically sexual harassing me, and being an all-around pervert, you've made quite the impression to me."

He quietly slurped from his coffee, listening intently.

"Those things about you…. I can't help but love them. They make me feel special." She choked out the last few words, feeling like an idiot.

"I knew it." He grinned once more.

"…" Her face flushed again. She began to hear every heart beat in her body.

"I'm just kidding. You know me, I tease rough. But all jokes aside, I'm glad. Hearing you say those things about me make me feel… Like you need me." He admitted.

"I do." She mumbled.

They met eyes once more, longer this time.

They quickly glanced away.

"Alright, I'm going to finish my shift, then I'm going to take you to the safety of your home."

He motioned to rise, but his hand was still tethered within hers. There was a small delay before she let go.

The hours flew by, Misaki met with her co-workers who flocked to meet her since her recovery, until it was just Usui and herself left. He would close shop.

"Beep Beep." He said, rolling the wheelchair over to her, in her drowsy state, She giggled to hear his deep voice saying such a silly phrase.

He helped her in, and they were off to her home. The evening was quiet, but she was having more fun than she had ever had in months. They didn't even speak much, it was just a quiet walk in the city, until they reached her home.

"I remember you standing beneath the streetlight over there before the accident, many times." She reflected, as he opened the gate.

"Yeah?"

"What… What were you doing?" Her heart skipped a beat, she hoped she was right.

"Making sure you got home safe, you told me to leave you alone, but I never really did." He admitted, scratching his back that didn't need scratching.

"Thank you." She smiled brightly.

They entered, so see Misaki's sister and mother relaxing at the table.

"Delivery for the Ayuzawa residence." Usui reported, cradling Misaki bridal-style in the doorway.


	5. Chapter 5

The petite figure that was Ayuzawa blinked happily at her mother and sister. She was carefully shipped to her sofa by Usui, who stood back awkwardly rubbing his whiskers as the family had their reunion. He firmly watched, being the only one not shedding tears of relief.

"Alright, I'm gonna get going-

Misaki's little sister tackled Takumi with a hug, blasting the air from his chest in an "umph!" He was thanked countless times, until he felt that he was now invading their privacy. He wanted to make sure they enjoyed their time as a family.

The mother wasn't understandable, for she was completely stressed in reprieve.

"Take care of her for me, yeah?" Usui leaned down to be face-to-face with Misaki's sister.

Suzuna replied with a kiss on the cheek, and a smile.

With that, Usui quietly left the Ayuzawas to peace.

Usui would stay up late that evening. He pondered deeply, petting his cat, Licht. Misaki was still not functional with her legs yet, so he'd have to safeguard her even more hawk-like than he already does. He finally drifted off into a snooze

The next day at school, Takumi hounded the teachers for all of Misaki's absent work, so she could start reviewing. The papers weighed several pounds. As Usui approached the Ayuzawa residence after class, the door shot open before he could knock.

"Please, come in." Misaki's mother chimed, happy as ever to see him.

"Thanks, I've got some stuff for Misaki." He held up that package, she quickly nodded for him to enter her room.

The dim lit room was brightened as he saw her quietly reading. Her senses were slower because she was still recovering, so she didn't notice Usui sneak in. He silently watched her for a few moments. Her orangey eyes were moving in skittish patterns as she read pages to study, thirsting for knowledge.

"What'cha readin'?" His deep voice broke the silence.

She jumped, obviously startled. The excited look in her eyes brought a smile upon seeing Usui sitting on her bed.

"School stuff." She turned in her revolving chair to face him, and motioned down to her legs.

He read the gesture, and quickly elevated her, moving her to the bed so they could finally sit next to one another.

"So, I've got your reviews for classes."

She ignored him, and lazily hugged him, burying her head into his chest.

"I'm always so tired." She muffled from his shirt.

He thought for a second, and then finally decided to bring an arm up to return the hug. He still was quite surprised at how… _normal _Misaki was acting_. _He hypothesized that her surgery made her too exhausted to be snappy.

"I don't remember Misa-Chan being so snugly." He dared to tease a little bit, hoping to get a rise out of her.

"You can't be mean to me. I'm sick." She quietly squeaked from his chest, still not moving.

Takumi has a strong stomach for cute things, especially Misaki. His eye twitched slightly at the feeling of overbearing adorability.

Without realizing it, he had sat still thinking for a full minute, for she was now asleep, clinging like an urchin to him.

After a few moments, he attempted to squeeze out. It wasn't working. He sighed in defeat, and finally used a tad bit of force to remove her hold, as he tucked her in for a nap. He pecked her a kiss on her forehead before he went to chat with her mother.

"So, when did she want to go back to class?" Usui asked, tucking his hands deep into his pockets.

Her mother chuckled. "You should have heard her, she wanted to go tomorrow! That vigorous girl doesn't even realize what kind of state she's in." She smiled as she worked on dishes.

Usui rolled up his sleeves and joined her. "It'll be a few weeks at the least, even for her to catch up on school work." He added, placing a few plates in the sink.

"She's a workaholic, she'll manage just fine."

'Damn right.' His mind cheered.

AN: Short Chapter, haven't wrote on this story in a while. I just wanted to keep you all satisfied, with a dosage of fluff. This will most likely be updated again sometime soon. I'd say this story needs a mood shift away from sorrow for a little bit, no? I may not live up to that forever though. :D


	6. Chapter 6

Usui was starting a new week of class, and was standing in front of his locker at the end of the day for nearly five minutes. He chewed on a sucker, and fumbled with his locker over and over again trying to open it. After dozens of tries, he looked up to see he was trying to open the one adjacent to his own.

This would be a _bad_ day, or so he thought.

"Takumi." Shintani mumbled as he walked past.

"Stop right there. Come here Hinata," Usui responded without looking, finally getting his locker open.

Shintani shoveled out a sigh. "What do you want?"

"You still pissed?" Usui asked, as he un-wrapped a second sucker for himself.

"You know what, a little bit, yeah." Shintani responded sarcastically.

"Honesty is good; you're coming with me for an hour or so." Usui announced slamming his locker, and walking off.

"What are you talking abou-

"Let's go." Usui waved. Shintani unwillingly followed.

Usui led them both to the courtyard of the school, hundreds of people milled about, minding their own business. The sound of chatter reigned triumphant over all other sounds.

"Why did you stop here?" Shintani escaped, nearly out of breath.

"I'm gonna hook you up." Usui retorted, chewing on a seventh sucker.

"How'd you mean?" Shintani raised an eyebrow.

"Stand here. Watch." Usui shuffled towards a group of girls, still within earshot.

Hinata folded his arms, slightly annoyed. "Alright." He whispered.

"Would any of you gorgeous ladies wish to accompany me to dinner?" Usui pleaded, smiling broadly.

Shintani watched in horror as phone numbers bombarded Usui with squeals, but he returned unscathed. He dropped a pile of papers covered in digits on the ground.

"Your turn." He said unwrapping a candy.

"What?"

"Don't recall stuttering." He admitted, prodding Shintani over to another pair of girls, who were talking.

Hinata swallowed his pride, and aimed to show Usui he had what it took to ask out girls.

"Would either of you guys want to accompany me with a gorgeous lady dinner?" Shintani asked, gulping.

He was met with a silent stare. Usui face palmed, and then signaled for Shintani to return.

"What'd I do wrong?" He asked skidishly.

"First of all, you look like a moma's boy." Usui remarked, ruffling his hair a bit, and unbuttoning the top button to his shirt.

"Don't I look trashy?" Hinata asked.

He was met with a risen eyebrow. "You got this." Usui pointed to a girl walking alone.

Shintani took a deep breath, and approached her.

…

Hinata finished, and was looking for Usui in the courtyard. Takumi had vanished, gone home perhaps.

Shintani smiled, and stuffed the newly acquired paper in his pocket.

…

Maid Latte was pretty quiet that day; Usui whistled small tunes from Jeremy Soule's compositions as he worked. He didn't really have 'friends' at his work because all of his co-workers were quirky women that talked too much.

"Here!" A teenager chirped, a table with three girls called.

"Your order, ladies?" Usui recited.

"You're that guy who asked me out earlier, remember?" Her hands clasped together, excited.

"Yeah, you didn't call us!" Another added.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken. Your order?" He lied.

Another voice from behind him chimed in. "I'll order!" Misaki was sitting in a booth, with her wheelchair folded up and resting against it.

Usui immediately turned his back on the three and motioned towards her, blocking out the calls of the girls.

"Hi." Misaki smiled.

"You again?" Usui provoked.

Misaki's smile vanished, and she looked away. "I'm sorry." She replied, ashamed.

Usui cradled her hand, and kissed the top of it. He knew he immediately relinquished his three followers at the other table by doing so. "Relax, I'm only teasing."

"I was cruel."

"That's what you'd expect from a foxy lady such as yourself." He grinned, saying it quiet enough for only her to hear.

Her head sunk. "You're still on your shift; could you at least _try_ to remain in character?" She grumbled.

"For you? No. I bother the beautiful Misa-Chan all I want." He plunked her on the forehead with his finger when she wasn't looking.

She cheeks turned to a soft crimson. "You're not very professional." She smirked.

"So, you're willing to teach me one-to-one how to be a good maid? What can I say, I'm intrigued." His devilish smile returned.

Her face portrayed a darker red. She puffed her cheeks at a loss for words.

"Well, I…-

He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm kidding. What would you like?"

"Just a coffee." She responded still hung over his words.

"Alright, be right back." He trudged off.

Misaki remained stumped in her mind. She knew Usui's word choice didn't hold back, but what he said _did_ make her feel good.

He returned, carrying two coffees.. He quickly slouched next to her.

"You're going to get yelled at." She reported, sipping quietly from her cup.

"For what?" He slurped.

"You can't take breaks, you know that!"

"Sure can." He held his hands to the side, showing.

She couldn't lie to herself; she loved the daredevil in him. She grinned.

"I've only got about…" He paused to check the time. "…Twenty minutes before shift ends."

She nodded.

Usui tried something. He slowly coiled his arm around her waist, and tugged her gently towards him. He checked her face for a response.

She read an odd expression. She seemed like she was fine with it, but uncomfortable.

He noticed, and slowly retracted his arm.

"Don't." She whispered, pressing her back against the booth, trapping his arm on the other side.

"Is this okay?" He pondered.

She nodded lightly, after a pause. She now felt more brave, and slowly leaned her head on him.

Usui is hard to read, but he wasn't able to hide the long-awaited smile that now covered his face.

"I feel so tired now." She murmured.

"Why's that?" As he asked, one of his co-workers saw him slacking off, they glared at him. He responded with a quick and cool wink, which removed the evil stare immediately. The woman couldn't help but wink back.

"I wheeled here." Misaki responded.

"You what?" Usui separated them.

"I… I wheeled here." The Ayuzawa bit her lip.

He chuckled, and kissed her forehead. "You can't do that kind of stuff right now."

"I know." She sighed deeply. "I wanted to come and see-

He silenced her with a quick and decisive kiss. Her blush returned at the thought of them being in public, with three spectators watching very closely.

"Finish that sentence later." Takumi whispered, after separating them. His hunger for her lips would have to be controlled.

"Okay." She admitted, now playing with her fingers.

"You sure are more… passive lately." He teased once more, poking her forehead.

"Don't worry, once I'm fully recovered, I can kick your ass some more." She retorted, grinning.

"Hell yeah, sign me up." He responded after getting up and walking far enough away before she could respond.

"That's not what I meant you pervert!" She yelled after him. He gave one quick glance behind him to meet her eyes. She said nothing more, baffled in his gaze.

As he changed back into his normal attire, she sat and thought of ways to make up for her last response. She forgot after a few minutes, too exhausted.

Ten minutes or so later, he walked out munching on a sucker. Misaki was now resting her head on her arms, which balanced on the table. She was one of the last few booths occupied.

"Beep beep." He announced, waking her up from the little snooze she had began.

"Ready to go?" She asked without moving.

"Yeah I'm ready. Put this on." He held out a jacket to her. She was only wearing a thin long-sleeve shirt for warmth.

She was about to protest, but didn't feel like it. He helped her put it on.

"Okay, let's go." She rubbed her eye, ready for a real nap compared to her previous one on the table.

Usui removed his flowing white scarf and wrapped it around her neck.

"Warm?" He quizzed.

"Mhm!" She nodded quickly.

"You look cute in that scarf." He pinched her cheek lightly between his fingers, earning the blush he sought for.

She was loaded into her chair like cargo, and the pair set out into the evening to take her home.


End file.
